Why I Traded Business Attire for Chacos and a Backpack

Another blog I wrote for Plywood People that I never got around to posting:

Last year I lived out one of my dreams. I did something that everyone talks about, but never does. I stepped into one of my lifelong dreams, and slowly felt it become a reality.

Two and a half years ago I sat through an all day training for my first professional job, fresh out of college and ready to tackle my big girl dreams. I had a closet of freshly pressed blouses, my own office, and a typical Atlanta commute to match every droning 9-5er out there.  My life had just started and I couldn’t wait to pay off my student loans, set up a budget to establish credit, and lock in my 401K.

But something was missing. All of the securities of a steady salary, a comfortable work environment, and a fluffy pillow at night slowly became less and less appealing. This isn’t my dream. Although it could be for someone else, it isn’t for me. So I began to search for something new. The more I searched, the more my dreams seemed to reach out to me, like a beaconing whisper alluring me to the mystery of the unknown.

One day I decided I was going to listen to that whisper and do what I’d been dreaming of doing my whole life:

travel the world.

help the hurting.

live in a different circumstance.

create meaningful experiences in my life.

have stories to tell.

I went for it. I signed up for a mission trip called The World Race, where I traveled to 11 countries in 11 months to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, and take care of orphans. I lived on $4 a day for food and $5 a day for lodging. I traded my morning commute for tea with the Iranian teashop owner next door. I traded my comfy bed for a camping sleeping pad and my car for the bed of an old, rusty red truck.

I traded the commonalities of my life for unique, one-of-a-kind experiences with people from the African bush all the way to a Thai market.

I took a risk and gave up a very comfortable, normal life for an uncertain (and some may say crazy) year of service and travel. I don’t regret riding elephants through a rain forest in Thailand or spending Christmas with eight orphaned toddlers in South Africa. I don’t regret giving up a stable life to pursue the nagging desire for something more. Even if your MacBook Pro crashes in Haiti, the restaurant fails, or no one likes your idea, nothing is lost in the pursuit of your dream. You will only gain knowledge, experience, and stories to tell to your grandchildren. Don’t we all want to live a story that’s worth telling?